Bread, milk and £1M

Ken Wedgeworth, 56, got his winning Lucky Dip ticket along with bread and milk after popping to his local store. “For years I have bought a EuroMillions ticket for alternate Tuesdays and Fridays. That Monday, I needed a few things so I popped into Morrisons and bought my usual Lucky Dip for the draw the following day. I then thought nothing more about it until I went onto my iPad the day after the draw to check the winning numbers on the National Lottery website.”

Ken spotted his Millionaire Maker win but it took time to really believe it. “I didn’t see any of my numbers but I did match a Lucky Star. I then checked the Raffle code and immediately sat down. I kept on looking and checking if I had misread the numbers and letters. I got up and walked around for a bit, made a coffee and then checked again. I must have done this a few times.”

The scale of the win has slowly started to sink in and Ken says it has been a special time. “It has been an amazing few days. I still haven’t stopped shaking. Before the man from Camelot came to confirm everything, I kept the ticket in my safe. It’s normally used for my passport and I never thought it would hold a piece of paper worth over a million pounds. It’s now safely in the bank.”

Northern Lights

Ken now plans to buy a new bungalow and share some of the winnings with his sister, Caroline, and her husband Gabriel, who flew in from Northern Ireland to be with him as he was presented with his big National Lottery cheque.

Ken spent 25 years in the British Army rising to the rank of Sergeant-Major. He then spent a few years as a delivery driver before retiring. Now 56, the win will help make retirement much more comfortable. “I have already put an offer on a bungalow and will plan a few trips. I have travelled all over the world with the Army but there is one place I have never been – the Arctic Circle. I will be researching cruises and time my trip for when the Northern Lights are at their brightest.”

In the special draw Ken won the £1 million prize plus the Ultimate New York City Christmas shopping spree. However, with a choice of a trip to the Big Apple or a cash alternative, Ken opted to take the cash prize, giving him a winning total of £1,055.923.